$10M Donated To Help CL&P Customers

HARTFORD, Conn. — A $10 million fund will be established to help Connecticut Light & Power residential customers who suffered losses after extensive power outages as a result of the pre-Halloween nor'easter.

Northeast Utilities, the parent company of CL&P, made the offer Wednesday to Gov. Dannel Malloy, who Thursday indicated he will work with NU to coordinate distribution of funds to customers hardest hit by the outages.

“The details are still being worked out, but it is our understanding Gov. Malloy will appoint a fund administrator who will help determine where to best use the donated funds,” said CL&P spokesman Mitch Gross.

The historic snowstorm two weeks ago left nearly 900,000 households without power, many for more than a week. Gross said CL&P is gathering information from customers to determine where the funds are needed most.

Charles W. Shivery, NU's chairman, president and chief executive officer, said a series of initiatives will offer relief to customers and enhance future storm restoration responses. “I understand the hardship this has caused, and realize we did not meet the goals we set for ourselves and upon which many of our customers relied, and for that I apologize,” said Shivery.

But Shivery admitted an apology isn’t enough. CL&P will waive late payment fees for its customers through the rest of the year and arrange flexible payment programs for customers who experienced losses and disruptions to their lives, he said.

CL&P will also provide additional resources to help with additional tree trimming and cleanup at no cost to cities and towns impacted by the Oct. 29 storm, Shivery said.

Shivery also will pay to hire an independent firm to conduct a comprehensive review of the company’s preparedness and response to the pre-Halloween snowstorm. This additional assessment would continue the examination of the utility's response currently under way by James Lee Witt, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Shivery has contacted Thomas Kuhn, president of the Edison Electric Institute, the electric utility industry trade association. He has asked the organization to review the mutual aid process that was criticized as a failure in Connecticut during the snowstorm.

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